Wednesday’s miserable start to the season continued with an emphatic 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland on Friday night.
With a backdrop of owner Dejphon Chansiri’s hard-hitting statement to fans earlier in the day and growing discontent from some supporters over both Chansiri and manager Xisco Munoz, we then found ourselves 2-0 down after just seven minutes and a third Sunderland goal all but signalled the game over with an hour left to play.
Wednesday were slightly improved after the break but it was another poor display with the side, while clearly lacking in confidence, again failing to show the desire, commitment and all-round team spirit to look like clawing anything back on a night when we were distinctly second best.
It means we stay rooted to the foot of the table with just two points from nine games played and wondering where that first Championship win of the seas0n is going to come from.
Basic defensive errors saw us go one-down after only four minutes. A poor pass from keeper Devis Vasquez led to a free kick and then a corner, Bambo Diaby lost Sunderland’s Dan Ballard when the flag kick came over and he headed home past Vasquez, who had also decided to stay on his line.
Worse followed within three minutes when a long crossfield ball found the dangerous Jack Clarke in acres of space on the Sunderland left, he was allowed to cut in onto his right-foot and arrowed a 20-yarder into the bottom corner of the net.
Wednesday came back into the game for a few minutes, John Buckley testing Anthony Patterson in the Sunderland goal and then Anthony Musaba curling an effort over the bar.
However, any hopes of a fightback were just about ended on the half hour when Diaby brought down Mason Burstow in the box and Clarke stepped up to convert the penalty with ease.
Callum Paterson fired over from 15 yards on 55 minutes when he might have found the target and a minute later the same player saw his shot pushed away by Patterson from Pol Valentin’s cross.
Sunderland, who dropped down a gear or two after the break, were still dangerous on occasions when they pushed forward and the only other time we looked like possibly getting on the scoresheet was in added time when good work by Juan Delgado down the right saw a George Byers header saved by Patterson.
The final whistle was greeted with boos from many of the home fans who remained in the near 26,000 crowd … but the majority had left long before then.
Vasquez, Valentin (Delgado 73), Bernard, B. Diaby (Palmer 79), Famewo, Paterson, Byers, Hendrick, Buckley (Gassama 73), Musaba, Gregory (Fletcher 79). Unused subs: Dawson, Iorfa, Vaulks, Bakinson, Smith. Attendance: 25, 987.
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